‘Times of Trouble’ by Lorraine Ezel

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9

“In times of trouble.” The word “times” is an indication that trouble is not a “one time thing”. As we go through the journey of life, we will face many “times” of trouble. Sometimes trouble will come back to back with no time to even catch your breath before the next one comes- as was the case with Job. Then at other times it seems as though trouble takes a break and leaves us alone for a while, but before we know it— it’s back.

Trouble also comes in many forms and invades many different areas of our lives. It can attack us in our health, our finances, our personal relationships and in our relationship with God. They also come in different sizes. They can be as small as the little foxes or as big as a giant. The Bible says that “man is born to trouble and his days are full of them”. If I stopped here with that statement it would seem that life was hopeless, we could never expect anything but trouble- no happiness, no joy, no peace, just trouble, trouble, trouble. But thank God we don’t have to stop there. When we have “times” of trouble there is hope, His name is Jesus!

Jesus sticks with us in times of trouble- He does not run out on us, He does not leave us to handle it by ourselves, He does not forsake us. In times of trouble He is our refuge, our hiding place, our security, our safety. When facing times of trouble we don’t face them alone- He leads, guides and directs us so that we can safely navigate through them to the other side.

Are you facing one of those “times” of trouble this morning? There is hope and help for you. Look to Jesus. He is big enough to handle whatever trouble comes your way and however many times it comes.

Have a great day. Each time that trouble comes, He will always be our refuge.

Excerpted from Coffee Break by: Lorraine Ezell

Read Full Post »

For the Kids of Mine 12/18

Summer Kids Camp is just around the corner.

We at Boshii Dar (God’s Gift) Church are already mapping out plans for the summer camp for the children in Mine 12/18, where we do our yearly kids camp for the underprivileged children who live in one of the most neglected parts of Donetsk City, Ukraine.

Since we’ve been organizing the summer kids camp here in Mine 12/18 for a couple of years now, we’ve come to get to know more the children as they grow. They keep coming back to this yearly event; it’s something that they look forward to every summer.

Most of the children, who went to past summer camps, are now in their teens. Despite this, they still come every summer to take part in the camp. We’ve been thinking of ways on how to organize a camp for these teens, but it does take some funds to make these plans into reality.

Once again, we ask for your prayer and financial support to enable us to organize the summer camp in August for both kids and teens of Mine 12/18. We need to raise around $3,000 to cover all the expenses.

The week-long summer camp is one of our church’s major events. It allows us not only to bless camp participants through fun summer camp activities but to also to meet with their parents and minister to them. Almost always, the kids enjoy the love and attention we give to them during the camp as well as the fun activities. Aside from this, we get the participants to plug into our church’s ministries for young people. With this setup, we are able to continually share with them the Word of God.

If you wish to take part in this endeavor, please don’t hesitate to contact me. If you are in the US, you may contact EMERGE Network (c/o chuck@quinley.com) or MEANS USA (meansusa@hotmail.com) and let them know of your desire to be part of the Summer Kids Camp here in Ukraine.

Your assistance will be very much appreciated.

Have a blessed weekend!

(Note: To view my Flickr photos of last year’s Summer Kids Camp here.)

Read Full Post »

My Photo Blog

For those who bumped into this blog just recently, I just want to let you know that I do have a photo blog called Behind the Lens. The URL is: http://saritabehindthelens.blogspot.com.This is where I mainly post my photo essays.

I love taking pictures. I always have my digital camera with me wherever I go.So if you have time to spare, do visit my photo blog on Blogger.

Meanwhile, I regularly upload tons of photos on my Flickr Pro site here.

See you there!

Read Full Post »